Lightweight Champ

Lightweight Champ

Lugging a vacuum from room to room, floor to floor is enough to make you say, "I can live with those crumbs!" But the Electrolux Intensity ($299) takes the torture out of toting. It weighs just 16 pounds (about a third less than a typical upright), but don't let that fool you: The vacuum sucked up sand, talc, oatmeal, and sugar better than any other model in our tests. Plus, its handle folds down for compact storage, and a quick press of the rewind button slurps up the retractable cord. The Electrolux's downside is that it doesn't come with attachments. Electrolux Intensity EL5020; 800-896-9759, electroluxusa.com.

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Light and Loaded

Light and Loaded

If you can't live without your crevice tool, check out the Dyson Slim ($470), which also weighs 16 pounds. The Slim cleaned almost as well as the Electrolux — and it comes with an extendable hose, lint brush, and other goodies. Added bonus: Its rounded base swivels, so cornering is a breeze. Dyson Slim DC18; 866-693-9766, dyson.com.

Lightweight Champ

Lugging a vacuum from room to room, floor to floor is enough to make you say, "I can live with those crumbs!" But the Electrolux Intensity ($299) takes the torture out of toting. It weighs just 16 pounds (about a third less than a typical upright), but don't let that fool you: The vacuum sucked up sand, talc, oatmeal, and sugar better than any other model in our tests. Plus, its handle folds down for compact storage, and a quick press of the rewind button slurps up the retractable cord. The Electrolux's downside is that it doesn't come with attachments. Electrolux Intensity EL5020; 800-896-9759, electroluxusa.com.

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Light and Loaded

If you can't live without your crevice tool, check out the Dyson Slim ($470), which also weighs 16 pounds. The Slim cleaned almost as well as the Electrolux — and it comes with an extendable hose, lint brush, and other goodies. Added bonus: Its rounded base swivels, so cornering is a breeze. Dyson Slim DC18; 866-693-9766, dyson.com.

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Allergy Fighter

Dust mites, beware the Halo UVX ($399) — it's the first vacuum with a built-in germicidal UVC light (used in some hospitals to kill germs). Squeeze a trigger on the vacuum's handle to activate the light (located in the nozzle); as it passes over the carpet, it will kill dust mites and eggs clinging to the fibers. Studies show that the light can also knock out common household bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in less than a second. Halo UVX; 877-879-4256, gethalo.com.

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Robo Rave

For time-strapped moms, iRobot's Roomba 560 ($349) is a technological masterpiece. Equipped with infrared sensors, the vac will canvass floors, get into corners, and even clean under beds -- all while you're running errands or relaxing. You can set a timer so the Roomba automatically starts working on, say, Mondays and Thursdays at 11:15 a.m. It can move between rooms without your help, and even does its own quality control (if you place the Virtual Wall Lighthouse unit in a doorway, the device will not let the robot cross into the next space until it has vacuumed the area it started in). While the Roomba doesn't deep clean, it picked up virtually every speck we dropped on floors; all it asks is that you empty its dust tray after two or three outings. iRobot Roomba 560; 800-727-9077, irobot.com.